Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Nov. 5 that he is commuting the death sentences of all 548 people on California’s death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“I have decided to commute every death sentence,” Newsom wrote in an open letter, saying he recognized the decision would anger victims’ families and others who oppose it.
“I will therefore issue the same commutation to every condemned person — life without the possibility of parole, the most severe punishment I can lawfully impose and the state of California can ethically enforce,” Newsom wrote.
The order does not automatically take every inmate off death row. Under state law, the California Supreme Court must approve commutations for inmates with multiple felony convictions, a category that includes hundreds of those currently sentenced to death. Fox News Digital reported reaching out to Newsom’s office for further comment.
Some of the cases affected
California’s death row includes several cases that drew heavy public attention over the years. Among them:
- Richard Allen Davis, sentenced to death in 1996 by a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge for the 1993 kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, who was abducted during a sleepover at her Petaluma home and later found dead in Cloverdale. Her father, Marc Klaas, went on to found the KlaasKids Foundation, which operated for 30 years helping search for missing children.
- Joseph Naso, known as the “Alphabet Killer,” sentenced to death in 2013 by a Marin County Superior Court judge for killing at least four women in Contra Costa, Marin and Yuba counties between 1977 and 1994.
- Cary Stayner, sentenced to death in 2002 by a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge for the 1999 murders of Carole Sund, 42, and her daughter Juli, 15, along with family friend Silvina Pelosso, 16, near Yosemite National Park. He was already serving a life sentence for killing nature guide Joie Armstrong.
- Chester Turner, the “Southside Slayer,” sentenced to death in 2007 by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge for killing 10 women in South Los Angeles between 1987 and 1998, and sentenced to death again in 2014 for four more killings.
- Christopher Cheary, sentenced to death in 2017 by a Tulare County Superior Court judge for the 2011 murder, rape and torture of 3-year-old Sophia Acosta in an Exeter apartment.
- Randy Kraft, the “Scorecard Killer,” sentenced to death in 1989 by an Orange County Superior Court judge for 16 murders committed between 1971 and 1983, though authorities believe his victim count exceeded 60.
- Isauro Aguirre, sentenced to death in 2018 by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge for the 2013 torture killing of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez in Palmdale. His girlfriend, Pearl Fernandez, received life without parole.
- Charles Ng, sentenced to death in 1989 by an Orange County Superior Court judge for killing at least 11 people at a remote Calaveras County cabin between 1983 and 1985. His co-conspirator, Leonard Lake, died by suicide during a 1985 police standoff.
- David Carpenter, the “Trailside Killer,” sentenced to death in 1984 by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge for murders in Santa Cruz and in 1988 by a San Diego County Superior Court judge for murders in Marin County, part of at least seven killings of hikers between 1980 and 1981.
- Cherie Rhoades, sentenced to death in 2017 for fatally shooting four people and attempting to kill two others at a 2014 tribal meeting in Northern California over her eviction.
Newsom’s commutation order affects all 548 inmates on death row, though the legal process for finalizing many of these sentence changes remains pending before the state Supreme Court.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login